Can You Spot Wealth Just By Looking at a Face? Researchers Think So – Study Reveals Surprising Facial Features That Make People 'Look Rich'

We've all heard the saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover," but apparently, a neutral expression can tell you more than you might expect about faces. 

According to a study from the University of Toronto, you can tell if someone is rich or poor just by looking at their resting face. No, it's not magic – it's science.

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Researchers Nicholas Rule and Thora Bjornsdottir led the study, which was published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology in 2017. They found that participants could guess someone's socioeconomic status with about 53% accuracy, which is a bit better than random chance. The trick is spotting subtle facial cues etched in over time – but this only works when people are showing neutral expressions. A smile or frown throws the whole thing off.

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The study divided student volunteers into groups based on family income, either below $60,000 or above $100,000. Photos were taken of them with expressionless faces, and a separate group was asked to guess who was "rich" or "poor." The results were surprising: participants could often tell the difference even without obvious markers like tattoos or piercings.

What's even more interesting is that this ability to detect wealth or poverty wasn't impacted by race, gender, or how long participants looked at the faces. They just knew – or at least, their gut did.

So, what exactly is happening here? The researchers say it has a lot to do with life experiences. People with higher incomes may lead less stressful lives, and those experiences leave an imprint on their faces. Subtle wear and tear reflects the stress, or lack of it, that comes with different economic backgrounds.

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The study also found that faces identified as ‘wealthy' were often viewed as more trustworthy. Wealthy features included:

• defined cheekbones
• higher eyebrows
• warmer complexion 
• high foreheads
• protruding noses

On the other hand, faces perceived as ‘poor' and less trustworthy tended to have:

• lower-set eyebrows
• Wider, shorter face shape
  • Lower eyebrows
• Shorter chins
• Downturned lips
• Cooler skin tones
• Flatter noses

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These first impressions could lead to what researchers call self-fulfilling prophecies. If someone looks like they're from a wealthier background, they might be treated differently – maybe in a job interview or in everyday interactions. These small, unconscious judgments can add to the cycle of poverty.

The study even tested this theory by asking participants to guess who would be more likely to land a job as an accountant. Most of the time, they picked people who looked wealthier based solely on their neutral expressions.

While the idea that you can spot wealth in a face isn't foolproof, it does make you wonder how much we pick up on without even realizing it. According to Rule, "Over time, your face comes to permanently reflect and reveal your experiences." Whether those experiences are of financial security or the struggles of making ends meet, they could be written all over your face.

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